(RATING: 6/10) BUT:
The famous disclaimer at the beginning of the game, stating that it was "developed by a multicultural team of various faiths and beliefs," is nothing more than a corporate shield. This message is used to camouflage an orientalist and insecure historical narrative designed to feed the deep-seated biases of the Western market. While the game remains playable thanks to the charisma of Yusuf Tazim, the gorgeous atmosphere of Istanbul, and a brilliant soundtrack, we are not buying Ubisoft’s habit of twisting history to satisfy centuries-old cultural grudges. Visually stunning on the outside, but deeply flawed and hypocritical under the hood. For those interested, here is the breakdown of the historical double standards:
1. Protected Western Leaders vs. The Ottoman Sultan:
In previous titles, iconic figures of Western history are treated with extreme care and protection. In AC1, King Richard the Lionheart is portrayed as a fair and reasonable ruler who discusses the justice of a duel with Altair. In AC2, the Medici family and Machiavelli—one of history's most ruthless political minds—are written as allies or actual members of the Assassin Brotherhood. In AC3, even when George Washington is revealed to have ordered the burning of native villages (including the protagonist Connor's own home), Connor never draws a blade on him; he simply gets upset and walks away. Ubisoft never tarnishes the historical weight or charisma of their own iconic leaders. Yet, when it comes to the Ottomans, the series' core philosophy of "remaining in the shadows" evaporates. Ezio literally draws his sword and stands down Sultan Selim I (historically one of the most ruthless and powerful rulers) right in front of his own army. While Western leaders remain sterile and untouchable on their historical thrones, the Turkish Sultan is reduced to a minor end-game plot device used solely to boost Ezio's "cool old master" persona.
2. The Reality of the Mongol Army vs. Microscopic Ethnic Screening of Ottomans:
The army built by Genghis Khan and his descendants is marketed monolithically in Western media as just a "Mongol" horde. However, historically, over 70% of that army consisted of Turkic tribes like the Kipchaks, Tatars, and Uyghurs. Furthermore, the administrative language of their courts and the spoken language of the military was entirely Turkish. Despite this, Ubisoft simply labels them "Mongols" without a second thought regarding their internal ethnic makeup. But when it comes to the Ottomans, a sudden microscopic screening begins. Even though the official court language, the daily spoken language, the founding element, and the vast majority of the military forces (starting with the Timarli Sipahis) were entirely Turkish, Ubisoft loves to nitpick with arguments like "but the Janissaries were conscripted devshirme, but there were Greeks living here." The goal here is obvious: to undermine the historical legitimacy of the Turkish identity in those lands and to portray the Ottoman Empire not as a legitimate state, but as an artificial, oppressive apparatus enslaving local populations.
3. The "Victimized Byzantium" Theater in Cappadocia and The Final Blow:
The game opens with the implicit narrative that the Turks forced the Greeks and other Byzantine remnants to live in exile inside the underground caves of Cappadocia. Manuel Palaiologos, a descendant of the Byzantine imperial bloodline, is romanticized as an honorable leader who is just minding his own business trading, trying to save his "oppressed" people, and boosting morale during an attack. While Manuel and the Byzantine soldiers are painted as innocent victims, Shahkulu—a Turkman—is introduced as the sole sadist responsible for whipping and torturing slaves. The message is clear: Byzantium is noble, and the only barbarian here is the Turkman. The ultimate contradiction comes with Ezio’s actions. Acting on the instructions of the Janissary Agha Tarık and Prince Suleiman, Ezio arrives to destroy the gunpowder cache of this already "oppressed" population. By detonating the storage, he burns down the underground city and leaves thousands of innocent civilians and workers to suffocate to death in toxic smoke. The game frames this mass civilian slaughter as "Ezio successfully completing his mission." The narrative is twisted to show that the Turks first drove these Christians underground, placed a sadist Turkman (Shahkulu) over them to torture them, and finally sent Ezio to bring the cave down on their heads, dealing the final blow.
4. Visual Racism and the "Yellow Filter":
The notorious Hollywood and gaming industry trope of "East equals dusty, dirty, and exotic" is fully at play here. When exploring Italy in AC2 and Brotherhood, the sky is crystal blue, the lighting is crisp, and the architecture looks grand and "civilized." Yet, the moment we step into Istanbul, the screen is suffocated by a heavy, yellow, and dusty filter. Smothering a magnificent capital surrounded by three seas and famous for its straits and greenery into a desert-like atmosphere is a deliberate subconscious attempt to tell the player: "You are now in a backward, tekin olmayan (unsafe), exotic Eastern territory."
